Kaithal, Oct 9 (PTI) The half-burnt body of a seven-year-old girl, who went missing on Saturday, was found in a nearby forest area here on Sunday, police said.

The girl, daughter of a labourer, had gone missing after she went to answer nature's call on Saturday.

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Family members and villagers searched the girl in the entire Kurad village on Saturday evening but could not find her. Later, they informed the police.

Police launched a search operation in the village and surrounding areas. They found the half-burnt body of the girl in the nearby forest area, they said.

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While scanning the CCTV footage of the nearby areas, police found that 18-year-old Pawan was taking to the girl. He was taken into custody.

A forensic team was also called to the spot.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Sajjan Kumar said post-mortem of the body will be conducted and her viscera will be sent to Madhuban forensic lab for examination.

He appealed to the villagers to remain calm and maintain peace.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)